Upon returning to the capital on Wednesday, Myanmar regime leader Min Aung Hlaing issued a blunt message to groups operating along the country’s shared frontier. Speaking to pro-regime media at Naypyidaw Airport, the general asserted that “concerned parties” near the Myanmar–India border must cooperate with his “government” if they wish to see the country prosper.
The remarks followed what he described as a “successful” five-day state visit to India—his first foreign trip since being inaugurated as president by a pro-military parliament on April 10.
Resuming Stalled Mega-Projects
A primary focus of the diplomatic trip was securing India’s help to revive massive, stalled infrastructure projects that span the 1,020-mile (1,643 km) shared border. During a press conference in New Delhi on June 1, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi directly discussed security concerns regarding two major transit corridors with “President” Min Aung Hlaing:
- The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP): A strategic transit route initiated in 2010 to link India’s Mizoram State to the Arakan State capital of Sittwe. Construction on its inland water transport terminal in Chin State’s Paletwa Township originally began in July 2012.
- The India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral (IMTT) Highway: An 870-mile (1,400 km) highway designed to connect Moreh in Manipur, India, to Mae Sot, Thailand, via Myanmar. Although construction is 70 per cent complete, the project has been completely paralyzed by the civil war triggered by the 2021 military coup.
Diplomatic pushback and suppressed protests
The diplomatic red carpet rolled out by New Delhi triggered intense regional blowback. The ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) and other regional rights watchdogs publicly urged India not to legitimize Min Aung Hlaing’s self-appointed presidency, which followed widely condemned “sham” elections in January.
Similarly, National Unity Government (NUG) Foreign Minister Zin Mar Aung sent a formal letter to India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on May 27, pleading with him to reconsider the visit. The appeal was ignored; Jaishankar met with Min Aung Hlaing in New Delhi on May 30, while the Indian Embassy declared the visit would “further strengthen cooperation”.
Local dissent within India was also swiftly managed. The civil society group India for Myanmar planned a demonstration against Min Aung Hlaing in New Delhi on May 31, but the event was shut down by Indian police before it could begin.
The volatile border reality
Min Aung Hlaing’s call for border cooperation highlights his regime’s severe loss of territorial control. Key border trading hubs are currently held by resistance forces rather than his regime:
| Border Location | Strategic Significance | Current Control Status |
| Paletwa (Chin State) | Crucial node for India’s Kaladan (KMTTP) project | Seized by the Arakan Army (AA) on January 14, 2024. |
| Rikhawdar (Chin State) | Major trade hub adjacent to India’s Mizoram State | Seized by the Chin National Army (CNA) on November 13, 2023. |
Despite the regime’s lack of physical presence at these stations, Arakan Army (AA) Chief Commander Twan Mrat Naing recently told The Diplomat that his armed group is explicitly “ready to help” India finish and operate the Kaladan transit project.
However, external intervention remains a wild card for the revolution. Dong Khup, president of Chin Community U.S.A., warned that India might actively assist Min Aung Hlaing’s regime in reasserting border control “at a steep price,” presenting a “real danger” to the resistance.
Friction between Indian security forces and Myanmar resistance fighters has already turned lethal. On May 14, 2025, the Assam Rifles—an Indian paramilitary force—killed 10 members of the People’s Defence Force (PDF) in Tamu Township, right across the border from Moreh, India. The NUG stated at the time that it was investigating the incident, but no public updates have been released since.
